Soo , I'm wondering will we see Sauron in his physical form in The Hobbit There and Back Again ??? i'm not talking about that cloudy shadow that we saw in AUJ !!! more like the Sauron in Lotr prologue in The Great Battle of the Last Alliance , I think he was cool !!! I know that during that battle he "died" but as he plays quite a big role as PJ says I think we will see him somehow !!! So What do you think guys about all this ?????

But if they do show him, I hope he sends shivers down my spine. I'm confident in Benedict Cumberbatch's performance. I saw him as Khan in Star Trek, and I thought he was scary. The only thing was the hair, it reminded me of Dean Venture, a character from the Venture Bros. If they have to show the Necromancer, I hope they don't give Cumberbatch the same hairstyle. The Necromancer is supposed to be an evil deity.

PJ has said Sauron is in the next movie for sure during the Sneak Peek early in the year. We know Cumberbatch is doing mo-cap for him so he must certainly be showing up.

I know PJ wants to show a more interactive Sauron since he almost had Aragorn fight him in ROTK. He can stay in line with LOTR and show him very easily I think. The Nazgul are non-physical but you can see them in clothing or armor though. Sauron will be a spirit too but I'll bet on him getting a different look than FOTR. He needs to be smaller and more creepy. Some armor and robes similar to the Nazgul would look good. I would really like to see him get a cool helmet or headpiece. It would be awesome if he had two flaming eyes like the one on top of Bara-dur!

"Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency."

- Saruman in PJ's FotR

Bingo. PJ isn't going to contradict his LoTR movies to this large of a degree. We know he lost his physical form in the prologue to FoTR, was spoken of being unable to regain his physical form in FoTR, and we never saw him take a physical form in any of the 3 LoTR films.

In the first Hobbit film all we saw was a shadowy outline, which was basically the essence of Sauron in a non-physical form that the local inhabitants of the surrounding land began to call The Necromancer. There is absolutely no reason to believe Peter Jackson is dumb enough create a physically formed Necromancer/Sauron and completely contradict so much of the work he's already done.

It has been confirmed in the recent EMPIRE magazine that ...
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Very near to the start of the film (perhaps even the prologue) Gandalf works out who the Necromancer really is. Plus, we also get to see Cumberbatch's mo-cap in the next film. I guess this is more than a shadowy figure we saw in AUJ, since that could easily be done with CGI. Since they're using mo-capping, I'd hope for something a little more elaborate. Coming soon! The first TORn Amateur Symposium, starts Sunday 21st July in the Reading Room. Closing date for essay submission Sunday 14th July, but even if you don't submit, join us for some interesting discussion on some different and personal ways of looking at Tolkien's work.

Reply To "Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency."

- Saruman in PJ's FotR

Who knows perhaps Saruman is now referring to the Driving out of Sauron from Mirkwood-PJ has stated the two trilogies are intermitly linked, so perhaps he now feels a 60 year gap between Sauron's defeat and return makes more sense than 3.000 year long one... The Talking Purse is Awesome, deal with it.

Very near to the start of the film (perhaps even the prologue) Gandalf works out who the Necromancer really is. Plus, we also get to see Cumberbatch's mo-cap in the next film. I guess this is more than a shadowy figure we saw in AUJ, since that could easily be done with CGI. Since they're using mo-capping, I'd hope for something a little more elaborate.

That what you described is refered to the investigation of the tombs. After them, Gandalf realizes who the Necromancer really is and shares his thoughts to Radagast. His reply we've seen in the latest blog -grave danger- Would also fit the fact that the tombs should be quite early in the movie.

I like that design very much - has similarities with the Ringwraith design to forge a connection but is distinctive enough in its own right. "Choosing Trust over Doubt gets me burned once in a while, but I'd rather be singed than hardened." ¯ Victoria Monfort

His main weapon will casting doubts in the hearts of his enemies
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I guess this is more than a shadowy figure we saw in AUJ, since that could easily be done with CGI.

Yes! I thought that too. I was very disappointed when I saw only this glimpse of him in AUJ. I thought THAT was the Benedict Cumberbatch credit of AUJ? A shadowy figure that didn't move except opening it's mouth and whisper something nobody could understand (perhaps something like "Radagast" but that's not confirmed is it?).

I hope we see him doing more in DOS and TABA. But I don't want him to do much more than perhaps trying to confuse/discourage Gandalf and the others like the Mouth Of Sauron did in ROTK or Sauron with showing Aragorn a picture of a dying Arwen. He has no physical power after he lost the Ring but he still can cast doubts in the hearts of his enemies. Especially Gandalf is vulnerable because he has these emotional connections to all the ones he protects. Perhaps Sauron tells Gandalf that he knows of his plan killing the dragon and helping the dwarves reclaiming their homeland. He won't know anything about Bilbo but he will know a lot about the Quest for Erebor. Perhaps we've got here the connection to Azog, Bolg and the Orcs?

Also it would be cool to have a connection to Saurons appearance in the FOTR prologue. Peter Jackson mentioned somewhere that his appearance at the Battle of the Last Alliance wasn't an armor it was his flesh. So Saurons "body" looked like a huge armor. I really hope that we'll see something of that. Perhaps a shadow that looks more like his FOTR self but being still a shadow. I loved his design and it would be cool to see something similar to it in TH.

"There is only one Lord of the Ring, only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power."

around the same lines, Annatar is a possibility. Plus Benedict's picture was in that Make up&Hair dept wall in that Vlog, I know it's thin chance but maybe... "There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something."

In fact, I had it for my avatar for a while. It's a frighteningly beautiful depiction of Sauron as Annatar. Don't you just love how his eyes are the same as the "Eye" atop Barad-dur? "...not till now have I understood the tale of your people and their fall. As wicked fools I scorned them, but I pity them at last. For if this is indeed, as the Eldar say, the gift of the One to Men, it is bitter to receive." -Arwen Undómiel

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"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.